‘They’re dead, I’m responsible’: French ex-surgeon sexually assaulted 299 victims, including children and his granddaughter

A French court has handed down a 20-year prison sentence to former surgeon Joël Le Scouarnec after finding him guilty of raping and sexually assaulting 299 people, with the majority being children, during his medical career spanning from 1989 to 2014.

According to The Washington Post, the trial, which began in February in Vannes, northwestern France, is considered the country’s largest child abuse case to date. Most of the victims were minors with an average age of 11 at the time of the crimes, according to French media reports.

During the proceedings, Le Scouarnec admitted responsibility for the deaths of two alleged victims, including one who died from an overdose and another who died by suicide. “They’re dead, I’m responsible,” he told the court, as reported by BFM TV. “They are no longer here because of me.” The former surgeon also confessed to abusing his own granddaughter when she was a young child.

Previous conviction and ongoing investigation reveals systemic failures

Le Scouarnec is currently serving a 15-year prison sentence from a previous case where he was convicted of raping and sexually assaulting a 6-year-old neighbor, a patient, and two of his nieces. The latest sentence is the maximum penalty possible under French law.

The case came to light in 2017 when the 6-year-old daughter of Le Scouarnec’s neighbor reported inappropriate touching. A subsequent police search of his home uncovered detailed notes documenting his abuse of patients, which occurred in operating theaters and hospital rooms while victims were under anesthesia.

Questions have emerged about how Le Scouarnec managed to continue practicing medicine despite prior warnings. In 2004, his name appeared on an FBI list of child pornography website clients shared with French authorities. While he admitted to accessing child pornography at the time, police investigations were limited, and he received only a suspended sentence before returning to medical practice.

French Health Minister Yannick Neuder has pledged to work with the justice minister to prevent similar situations from occurring in the future. In his final statement to the court, Le Scouarnec said, “I am not asking the court for leniency. Simply grant me the right to become a better person and to regain that part of humanity that I have so lacked.” Prosecutor Stéphane Kellenberger characterized Le Scouarnec as “the devil” during the trial.

The case comes amid France’s broader examination of sexual crimes, following the recent trial of Dominique Pelicot, who received a 20-year sentence in December for repeatedly drugging and raping his wife and organizing her abuse by multiple men.